Highams Park London

[Ian.R.McDonald]

My first ever fishing day. Good ever hungry perch pulling the oversize float along. My Dad dropped us off, saw my interest and went secretly up to Bearmans Leytonstone and bought a " proper" if tiny treated cotton keepnet. I remember the overhanging trees with early stock of North Londons green parakeets fluttering around.
Fishing and Sailing have been a large part of my life. Highams Park Sailing club raced some lovely wood sailing dinghies- British Moth and the smaller Fly . Boats and floats came very close but I dont remember any animosity.
I kept my bank account in Highams Park when I moved north. In the days when we talked about banks rather than tapping bits of plastic on machines, it was fun when people asked " Highams? where?"

[Catfish.017]

Ah those little orange keep nets with galvanised steel rings. Even after almost sixty years I have a clear memory of mine full of treasure; a leash of gilded four ounce Rudd sparkling in the sunshine of a mid Sixties Summer Saturday!

[Ian.R.McDonald]

I hadnt realised the lake was made in " capability brown style" by another landscaper diverting the river Ching. I understand the sailing club closed in the 70s.
I prefer to keep images in my memory rather than seeing current photos

I remember my kid sister struggling to cast more than a rod length and catching a pound plus perch which looked like a whale to us in the 60s